Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 doesn’t radically change the formula of the first game beyond adding a new character. Fortunately, Copen plays slightly differently and does offer up a fresher experience.

The last-generation version of DIRT 5 truly feels like a beta in comparison to this product. The game was designed with the PS5 hardware in mind and shouldn’t have seen a release on the PS4. This is an excellent way to experience what the PS5 is capable of; especially if you have a 4K 120hz television.

Icon is a fun ride, but it's got some pretty deep shoes to fill. It is fun and the music features are pretty cool, so give it a look. [Apr 2007, p.46]

Gurumin not only offers a great challenge, but makes players want to go back and find every last hidden secret and collectible. The graphics, sound and music all look and sound great on the 3DS. If there is even the tiniest bit of interest in Gurumin, it is absolutely worth picking up.

Things actually could be even slightly deeper, but for now, Planet Coaster truly is one of the best virtual thrill rides you can check out and one you won’t get off of anytime soon.

While it may not have all the whistles and bells of Rune Factory 4 or 5, this delightful remaster of 3 is a welcome addition to the continued trend of bringing back older enjoyable titles for more to get their hands on. It’s well worth playing and sinking a good amount of time into, especially for those who love completing every last element of simulation titles and being offered a meaty challenge for them to take on. Anyone who loves Rune Factory will want to pick up 3 Special, and this is a welcoming and accessible title for anyone who hasn’t ever played one before and wants to give it a try for the very first time.

The five episodes of 3 Out of 10: Season Two are smart, funny and entertaining from start to finish, and like any good show ends on a cliffhanger setting up the next set of episodes. It’s an incredibly fun series that fuses its TV sitcom style to gaming like nothing else out there, and a fantastically successful experiment.

MLB The Show 18 incorporates plenty of content to keep players busy while offering the best visuals and strongest core gameplay in a sports simulation. Franchise Mode feels more intuitive, Diamond Dynasty is loaded with Legends and many different outlets to score more cards, and Road to the Show is the best version the series has seen. The adjusted ball mechanics can be felt immediately, but there still seems to be an abundant amount of foul balls. While the lack of something revolutionary may bother yearly players, the game of baseball that The Show 18 plays will attract baseball fans.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 may have started off a bit slow, but Capcom was able to redeem themselves by creating an irresistible adventure through and through.

Open Roads is a touching love letter to grief, the breaking of generational cycles and the complexities of family relationships. Dever and Russell’s performances are at once invigorating and heart-wrenching, demonstrating a genuine passion for acting throughout the game. The interactive environment feels lived-in and authentic to the early 2000s, adding another layer of immersion to the player's experience. While the voice acting is impressive, the characters’ appearance and facial movements become repetitive around the thirty-minute mark, diminishing some of the emotional beats in the story. Overall, Open Roads is a must-play poignant experience for fans of visual novels.

Visual Concepts and 2K made the right decision with taking last year off as WWE 2K22 is the best effort the team has released since taking over. The visuals are a sight to behold and the combat is fluid and fun. The simplification of combat and the modes makes this much more approachable for everyone without having to figure out a bunch of alternate moves and backwards ways of pulling off things that are seen on TV. MyGM will keep players occupied forever and Showcase Mode is the best version to date. MyRISE is a nice addition with a ton of variation to keep things fresh, but ultimately remains a grind. MyFACTION, while sounding good on paper, is just MyTEAM from NBA 2K and its filled with microtransactions. If you’re one of those players that pick up a WWE game every couple of years, 2K22 is the one to get.

An intriguing tale full of interesting world-building and appealing character moments alike, brief visual and performance issues aside, The Legend of Heroes: Trails from Zero — specifically for those on Switch — should not go overlooked.

Null Vector successfully takes two distinct genres and blends them together in such a way that they feel like perfect compliments to one another. More musical tracks would be nice, but its overall presentation does a great job of calling back to the vector graphics of old without succumbing to their visual drawbacks. Its core loop of shooting, looting, upgrading and strategizing is genuinely fun, and its short run time makes it easy to keep coming back for more.

The Rumble Fish 2 has developed a cult following since its release and it’s no surprise why after finally being able to play it. It can go toe to toe with any of the other fighting games of its era. The multiple gauge system brings another element of strategy to each match, but getting past that feature, The Rumble Fish 2 delivers a polished fight experience that includes the requisite staples of the genre. The roster of fighters features several interesting designs and varied fighting styles. As with any game being available seventeen years after its original release, it may not appeal to everyone, but this is one of the top contenders viewing it through a lens of 2005 gaming.

The Walking Dead Season 2: Episode 3 – In Harm’s Way is another strong addition into an already compelling universe.

While there are problems with the structure and overall narrative, there’s no denying that Octopath Traveler is an alluring adventure and one of the better RPGs on the Nintendo Switch.

Mario Party Superstars is a worthy compilation of all of the series’ greatest hits. It has a great selection of minigames with plenty of different ways to enjoy them. The core board game works well for the most part, albeit somewhat hampered by Nintendo’s online infrastructure and some imbalanced design decisions. Online itself is functional enough, but expect to experience lag and the occasional dropped player. Rounding out the whole experience are the various unlockables on offer; all of which enhance the player experience in some way and give fans reasons to keep playing beyond just enjoying the occasional round with their friends. Indeed, Superstars is every bit the game Mario Party fans were hoping it would be, even if it does suffer from minor issues.

Little Dragons Café first appears as though it requires constant attention to every little detail, but actually makes for a relaxing time. Exploration is well paced with each step further getting more creative and exiting, and managing the café is simple without feeling overly stressful. It’s a laid back title that is easy to get absorbed in and focus for long hours, but also makes for a wonderful time to pop into every once in a while and just explore what it has to offer. Little Dragons Café makes for a memorable, sweet journey that any person can pick up and enjoy without worry.

Shin Megami Tensei IV manages to meet its hype in some respects and fall short of it in others. Its combat is stronger than ever, adding in components that are deep, unique and reward the strategically-inclined, while the character customization options will excite those who like to build their ideal fighter.

Driveclub VR is an outstanding showcase for PlayStation VR. As the lone racing game available for it, it stands atop a short mountain — but its core foundation being so well-crafted bodes well for it working as a showpiece for quite some time. Anyone who loved the original game should check it out, while those who always wondered what was so good about it will find out in the best way possible by experiencing it in VR.

Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics brings together multiple beloved arcade classics. The seven games included in the collection haven't been heavily altered from their original arcade releases, save for the art and music galleries and online play, but that's perfectly fine. These games were great in the arcade and they remain fun today in their unaltered state. The six fighting games, when played in order, can show the evolution of bringing the Marvel Universe to Capcom's approach to fighting games, starting with the straightforward one-on-one matches of X-Men: Children of the Atom to the three-on-three tag team matches between 52 characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 2. Countless hours of enjoyment can be had fighting against friends in the six fighting games, with The Punisher serving as a nice bonus game when the gameplay style needs a change of pace.

The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a pure charmer of an RPG. The playful storybook art and lovely soundtrack strike an adventurous tone, and all the characters from Yuu and the Dragon King down to the random monsters are adorably designed. The RPG action is easy overall so long as you don’t forget about the occasional healing potion, and the only real knock against it is the battles are too frequent for their own good. The Cruel King and the Great Hero is a perfect game to use as an introduction to the RPG genre for the younger crowd, and great for an adult who knows their way around and can enjoy themselves with a story of a kind hero and the Dragon King who loves his adopted daughter.

Developers Teku Studios clearly poured a lot of love and effort into Candle and it shows. From the breathtaking scenery and artwork to the terrific puzzle designs and unique worlds to discover and characters to interact with, Teku’s journey is easily one that deserves to have a light shone on it as well, as a showcase of a terrific platformer and adventure game.

Weak continuity and weaker dungeon crawling gameplay make this hard to recommend to anyone who enjoys the series for its depth. If you’re not bothered by a bit of stupidity, give it a play.

’80s Overdrive comes to the Switch in top form and stands even taller on the hybrid console than it did on the 3DS three years ago. With games like the original arcade great Outrun and other modern games like Horizon Chase Turbo that it inspired, it would be easy to get lost in the shuffle, but it doesn’t. It stands out thanks to a bright visual style and a memorable soundtrack that makes use of some of the best ’80s-infused music you could ask for. It controls like a dream and even the original version’s touchscreen support is retained for menus to make things easier to navigate. It does fall a bit short with track creation, but is a must-buy overall. ’80s Overdrive is one of the best racing experiences on the Switch, period.

Despite the lopsided breakup between the two campaigns, the conclusion of Revelations 2 will leave players satisfied with the hope of more bite-sized spin-offs in the series’ future.

Anyone who has played these Monkey Ball titles before will be satisfied with this new available version. Those who have never touched the series before and are looking for a challenging physics-based platforming adventure should try out Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.

Despite the fact that there are some technical and acting issues, Observer absolutely excels. Not only is it a great genre entry, but a fine example of interactive entertainment as a whole. The world that Bloober Team has created is one that is wide open for more exploration. I wouldn’t mind prequels exploring the fall of modern society or alternate perspective takes on the tale. Heck, even a Chiron management sim, where the company needs to keep the people just happy enough to accept their oppression would be interesting. This is not reggae, but it deserves to be as popular.